Disappearing door handle for automobiles



June 21, 1938. E. JONES ET A1.

DISAPPEARING DOOR HANDLE FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed June 12, 1954 2Sheets-Sheet 1 -6INYENTOR .YBY )maW AMW ATTORNEY June 21, 1938.

E. JONES ET AL- .DISAPPEAHIHG DOOR HANDLE FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed June 12;19:54

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 (g lN VEN IOR ATTORNEY Patented June 21, 1938 PATENTOFFICE DISAPPEARING DOOR HANDLE FOR AUTOMOBILES Emile Jones and Jesse G.Fineout, Lansing, Mich., assignors to The Yale & Towne ManufacturingCompany, Stamford, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application June12, 1934, Serial No. 730,342

Claims. (Cl. 70-208) This invention relates to disappearing door handlelocks such as are used in connection with the doors of automobilevehicles, and it belongs more particularly withthat type of door handles5 and locking mechanism wherein the shank of the handle is pivoted atits inner end, and the handle may be turned up and down into and out ofa suitable cavity in the door.

This invention is not limited to the particular shape of the handle setforth in this application, but is concerned with the specialconstruction and arrangement of the various parts whereby the handle maybe locked in the cavity of the door either from the outside or theinside of the door and the handle may also be raised from the cavity andwithin convenient position to be grasped by the hand by a person eitheron the outside or inside of the automobile. It is intended that when thedoor is closed the handle may be turned into the cavity of the door,from which position it cannot be easily released from the outside, andaffords no projecting portion to be acted upon by any implement in thehand of an unauthorized person seeking to open the door. In addition tothus occupying its seat in the cavity, the handle may be locked thereineither from the outside or from the inside of the door.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the special parts of this inventionand the combinations thereof.

Of the drawings,

Fig. 1 represents a portion of the outside surface of a door showing thelock, with the handle seated in the cavity of the door, and certain 35operating parts indicated by broken lines to disclose their positions.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view of the lock plate casing, taken from theinside, and showing the lock plate or bolt projecting.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the lever connectionsillustrated in the upper left hand portion of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the bolt casing taken on the broken line44'of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an edge view of a portion of a door with this inventionapplied, and shows the handle raised out of the cavity provided for itin the door.

Fig. 6 is an outside view of a portion of a door provided with aslightly modified form of this 50 invention.

Fig. '7 shows the side view of the member termed the locking bar, andits connection with the operating connecting bar.

Fig. 8 is a vertical section taken on the broken 55; line 8-8 of Fig. 6illustrating the internal locking members of the modification set out inFig. 6.

Throughout the drawings and the following description the same number isemployed to refer to the same part.

Considering the drawings, the door I has a suitable casing for thesliding bolt 3. The terms herein given are only for the purposes of thisexplanation.

Best shown in Fig. 2 is the roll back l arranged to contact with thebolt at the point 5, and operated by means of the roll back lever Bthrough the agency of the bar I attached to and turning the roll backupon its center piece la. The roll back lever 6 has a pivot 8, and theend of the lever as shown in Fig. 1 is attached to the inner pivoted endof the L-shaped handle 9 by means of the link [0. The inner end of thehandle is pivotally secured in its seat by the pivot l I. As best shownin- Fig. 5 a light spring I2 acts to raise the handle from the cavitywhen released, and the spring moves the handle outwardly far enough tobe easily grasped by the hand and further raised and the door pulledopen. The handle is retained and released by a locking bar l3 which hasas illustrated in Fig. 7 two branches. The longer branch I30; has itsend movably located under the inner end of the handle, so that when thelocking bar is held against movement, the handle is held in the cavityout of reach from outside the door. But when the cam I4 is turned bymeans of the lock IS, the branch l3a of the locking bar is moveddownwardly out of the way, and the handle is released and raised by thespring l2. As the handle is raised into the position set out in Fig. 5,the pull on the roll back lever 6 moves bar I and rotates the roll backagainst the contact point 5 of the bolt 3 which is thus drawn in. Thelocking bar l3 has a pivotal junction IS with a vertical connecting barI7, and as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, connecting bar I! is pivotallyconnected to a lever I8 that has the suitably lengthened pivot rod 20.The connection between rod I! and lever I8 is marked l9, and the levermay be termed the internal locking bar. It is attached to the pivot rod20, and is raised and lowered by the operating handle mm as shown inFig. 1. It will be understood, therefore, that the connecting bar llwill be moved correspondingly lengthwise.

As best illustrated in Fig. 2, a pivot 22 carries a bell crank 23, thefunction of which is to rock the lever plate 24 by means of theconnecting link 25 passed through the hole 24a. and moving the nose 2%of the lever 24 thereby moving the connecting bar [1 in the direction ofits length.

" by the lock directly beneath the upper and shorter The engagement ofthe nose 24b and the recess |'|a of the bar II is best set forth in Fig.4. Lever 24 is pivoted at 26. To support the pivot 26 a plate 21 issecured to the wall of the casing 2. It will be observed in Fig. 4 thatthe end of the bell crank 23 is in the path of the head of the bolt 3,and is moved by the bolt. Also there is shown in Fig. 2 the draw bar 28connected with the bolt and adapted to withdraw the bolt from the insideof the door when the handle 29, indicated in Fig. 1 by broken lines isoperated.

In Fig. 1 the cavity in the outer surface of the door I bears thereference number 2|, and in Fig. 2 there is shown the convolute spring3!] which acts upon and projects the head of the bolt 3.

In the modified form of this invention illustrated in Figs. 6 and 8, thedoor 3| is provided with a handle equipped with a lock 32 having a pinor member 33 engaging and operating the latch bolt 34 when the lock isturned. The bolt 34 moves outwardly and inwardly in an extended rearportion 3'! of the handle as shown in Fig. 8, and in a cavity 35 aspring 36 is placed which presses the bolt 34 outwardly. The handle hasthe seat or cavity 38 for its reception in the door, as beforedescribed. The handle is provided with a pivot 39 upon which is securedthe end of the spring 49 which acts to raise the handle more or lessfrom the cavity 38 when the bolt 34 is withdrawn. The angle piece 4|carries the pivot 39 and the spring 40. The upper V-shaped end of thehandle beyond the pivot 39 is marked 42 in Fig. 8 and has a hole 43 forconnection with the link ll] shown in Fig. 5. The purpose of themodified form of this invention illustrated in Figs. 6 and 8 is toeliminate the cam l4 and the structure accompanying it, as it is foundthat the modified construction is preferred by some users.

In explanation of the operation of this invention, considering Fig. '7.If the cam M is turned branch of the locking bar IS, the bar cannot turndownwardly, and as the end of the branch |3a of locking bar I3 is in theway of the inner end of I the handle shank, as shown in Fig. 5, thebranch l3a' cannot move downwardly' and the handle cannot be raised fromits cavity seat. But if the cam M is turned into the position indicatedby the broken lines in Fig. '7, the branch |3ct is moved downwardly fromthe inner end of the rotating the roll back and withdrawing the head ofthe bolt permitting the door to be pulled open. The person enters thecar and shuts the door in the customary manner. The spring 3|] shootsthe bolt into the closed position. By reference to Figs. 1 and 4, itwill be understood that a person on the inside of the car, the doorbeing closed, applies an upward pressure to the handle 20a of theinternal locking mechanism. This action exerts a downward force upon theconnecting bar Bar moves the lock bar 3 into the position shown in fulllines in Fig. '7, and the longer branch or extended portion of thelocking bar |3a is moved upwardly, and in so doing retracts handle 9into the cavity 2| of the door l. Thus the door is locked from theinside. A person in the car desiring to get out, turns the handlemechanism 29 in such manner that a backward pull is applied to the drawbar 28, which in turn pulls the bolt 3 back and out of engagement withthe door jamb, thereby unlocking the door. As the bolt 3 moves inwardlyit engages the bell crank 23 which is pivoted at 22. The crank 23 pullsthe link downwardly,and the link in turn draws the end of the platelever 24 down correspondingly. Plate lever 24, pivoted at 26, when movedin that manner raises the nose 24b in engagement with the notch orrecess Ila of the connecting bar l1, forcing the bar upwardly, and indoing so pulls the branch |3a of the locking bar |3 out of its retainingposition next to the inner end of the handle 9, and the handle isreleased and raised fromthe cavity 2| by the spring 12 as explained.

It will be understood that during this part of the operation, the cam I4is in the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 7. In the modified formof this invention the cam I4 is eliminated and the handle is released bythe operation of the lock The spring 4|! moves the handle out of thecavity or seat 38 as before explained respecting the spring I2. Each ofthe other steps in the operation may be carried out in connection withthe modified form.

Itis believed to be-within the purview of this invention to vary theshape or contour of the handle, as well as the size and form of theother cooperating members.

Having now described this invention and the manner of its use, weclaim:-

1. In a door lock of the character described, in combination with a doorhaving an L-shaped cavity, a handle and shank constructed to fit saidcavity flush with the outer surface of the door, a spring arranged tomove the handle out of the cavity, the inner end of said shank beingpivotally secured in said cavity, a sliding bolt, a spring arranged toproject the bolt, a roll back arranged to move said bolt, a pivoted rollback lever, a link connecting said lever and the inner end of the handleshank whereby the movement of the handle outwardly withdraws the bolt,means for locking the handle from the outside of the door, and devicesoperated by the movements of the bolt for releasing and replacing thehandle with respect to said cavity when the locking means are unlocked.

2. In a door lock of the character described, in combination with a doorhaving an L-shaped cavity, a handle and shank adapted to fit said cavityflush with the outer surface of the door, the inner end of the handlebeing pivotally secured in the cavity, a spring adapted to move thehandle out of the cavity, a sliding bolt, a spring arranged to move thebolt into its locking position, a roll back arranged to move said bolt,a pivoted roll back lever, a link connecting said lever and the innerend of said handle shank, means for locking the handle from outside thedoor comprising a lock and a cam turned by the look, a pivoted lockingbar having twobranches acted upon by said cam, one of said brancheshaving its end movably arranged to retain said handle in said cavity andto release the same, a bell crank operated by the movements of saidbolt, connections with said crank whereby said branched bar is actuatedby the bolt.

3. In a door lock of the character described, in combination with a doorhaving an L-shaped cavity, a handle and shank constructed to fit saidcavity flush with the outer surface of the door, a spring adapted tomove the handle out of the cavity, a sliding bolt, a spring arranged toproject the bolt,-a roll back arranged to move said bolt, a pivoted rollback lever, a link connecting said lever and the inner end of the handleshank, the said inner end of the shank being pivotally secured in saidcavity, a lock for locking the handle in the cavity from the outside ofthe door, and devices operated by the movements of the bolt andcontrolled by said lock for releasing and replacing the handle in thecavity.

4. In a door lock of the character described, in combination with a doorhaving a cavity, a handle and shank adapted to fit in the cavity, theinner end of the handle being pivotally secured in the cavity flush withthe outer surface of the door, a spring adapted to move the handle outof the cavity, a sliding bolt, a spring arranged to move the bolt intoits locking position, a roll back arranged to move said bolt, a pivotedroll back lever, a link connecting said lever and the inner end of saidhandle shank, means for locking the handle in the cavity from theoutside of the door comprising a lock and a cam turned by the look, apivoted locking bar having two branches in the path of said cam, one ofsaid branches being the longer and said longer branch having its endmovably arranged to retain said handle in the said cavity and to releasethe same, means operated by the movements of the bolt whereby saidbranched bar is operated by the bolt.

5. In a door lock of the character described, in combination with a doorhaving a cavity, a handle and shank adapted to fit said cavity flushwith the outer surface of the door, a spring arranged to move the handleout of the cavity, the inner end of the shank being pivotally secured inthe cavity, a sliding bolt, a spring arranged to move the bolt into itslocking position, a roll back arranged to move said bolt, a pivoted rollback lever, a link connecting said lever and the inner end of saidhandle shank, means for locking the handle from the outside of the doorcomprising a lock and a cam turned by the lock and a pivoted locking barhaving separated portions arranged in the path of the cam, one portionof said bar being movably arranged to retain said handle in the cavityand to release the same, a bell crank operated by the movements of thebolt, a link connected with said crank, a lever operated by said link, aconnecting rod operated by said lever and connected with said barwhereby the bar is actuated by the bolt.

EMILE JONES. JESSE C. FINEOUT.

